After what turned out to be one of the most exciting games for Auburn Football in a couple of years, most, if not all, fans immediately turned their attention from Georgia to Alabama. Yet, the Tigers have a game to close out the non-conference slate this Saturday against the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks. It’s an eeeeearly kick at Jordan-Hare Stadium at 11 AM, so it won’t be as rowdy as usual, especially considering the student section will likely be decimated due to this little thing called Thanksgiving Break. SO before all that gets underway, here are a couple of big things to watch before Auburn takes on Alabama ULM.
1. Get the starters out of the game as quickly as possible.
Duh, this seems like an obvious thing. In fact, most of you probably stopped reading after you just saw that because you think this is so painfully obvious. No matter how good or bad or healthy or hurt the Crimson Tide are, you have to be at your most healthy to have a good chance to win. Auburn healed up really well during the bye week, and hasn’t had all that many key injuries since. If Jarrett Stidham or Kerryon Johnson or any of the great defensive personnel (especially the pass rushers) get hurt, you’ll be throwing a bunch of inexperienced guys into the fire of an Iron Bowl. This way, you limit the time your starters are on the field and give some of the younger players the experience they will need in future years anyway.
Basically just score a whole bunch of points early in the game. Wow, I guess I could have simplified that quite a bit…
2. Watch the kick coverage in this game.
I know, I know. It’s ULM, but if you could really nitpick a weakness from last weekend’s installment in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry for the Tigers, it would absolutely be the coverage on the kickoffs. While the special teams have looked better as a whole since the calendar turned to November, Georgia did everything shy of running one back on kickoffs last Saturday afternoon. This is an area where Alabama could potentially make up for their decimated linebacking core next week. You’d like to see the Auburn Special Teams lock down kick returns in order to get some confidence up again before the Iron Bowl.
3. When I said get the starters out, I especially meant the offensive line.
This has been a unit that has been banged up the most throughout 2017, and frankly, I think it has made them better as a whole by having to shift around and play the different positions. Since the loss at LSU, this has been the best unit on the team, and they’re playing up to the hype that was laid out for them two seasons ago. You’ve heard Jarrett Stidham and Kerryon Johnson thank the O-line after every victory in interviews and press conferences, because they recognize how vital they have been to the overall success of the Chip Lindsey offense.
Auburn takes on Louisiana-Monroe Saturday in Jordan-Hare Stadium at 11 AM. Television coverage can be found on ESPN2 or on the radio via your local Auburn Sports Network affiliate with pregame coverage starting at 8 AM.
